Pruning Ashoka Trees

[Morakot]

I have several False Ashoka trees (Polyalthia Longifolia) on my property near my house for shade.

 

I'd like to cut them in height, as on windy days they bang against the roof gutter.

 

They are about 15 cm in diameter at the base and 12 m in height.

 

What can I expect after pruning them to 7.5 m height? Will the branches grow upwards into a stem and look rather unsightly? Or will them just get fuller at the remaining part? 

 

 

 

 

[Guderian]

18 hours ago, Morakot said:

I have several False Ashoka trees (Polyalthia Longifolia) on my property near my house for shade.

 

I'd like to cut them in height, as on windy days they bang against the roof gutter.

 

They are about 15 cm in diameter at the base and 12 m in height.

 

What can I expect after pruning them to 7.5 m height? Will the branches grow upwards into a stem and look rather unsightly? Or will them just get fuller at the remaining part? 

They look a right old mess after you've cut them, but will soon grow new branches (or is that trunks?) from where the main trunk was cut and after 6 months or so they'll look much the same as they did originally, though because of the way the new branches/trunks grow around the original one the tree body tends to get wider. I have just three left now where originally there were seven, yet they provide the same amount of shade and look fine, though perhaps not as elegant as the unpruned version. I find that they grow back very quickly, though, and then within a year or 18 months they will need to be pruned once again.

 

Here's the pruning/butchery job in progress a few years ago:

 

 

And this is the end result, you can see where the new trunks/branches from a previous pruning grew out:

 

 

[Morakot]

Thank you very much!

 

Your photos are useful. I can see that your trees have forked into massive branches.

 

My trees have a single continuous trunk and all branches are very thin and weeping/ hanging.

 

They've now been cut at about 6 m heights. Let's see how this turns out. I'm hoping for the best.

 

 

[Morakot]

On 5/16/2022 at 2:44 AM, Guderian said:

 

 

They have been pruned before, haven't they?

 

The multiple solid upright branches at a relatively low height suggest so.

[The Hammer2021]

As we know pruning encourages growth

[Morakot]

2 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

As we know pruning encourages growth

Yes, but in what direction? ????

 

Upwards or side-wards?

[The Hammer2021]

Just now, Morakot said:

Yes, but in what direction? ????

 

Upwards or side-wards?

Depending  on growth  points? I dunno

[sometimewoodworker]

39 minutes ago, Morakot said:

42 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

As we know pruning encourages growth

Yes, but in what direction? ????

 

Upwards or side-wards?

The vast majority of shrubbery will grow upwards. You can encourage sideways growth by nipping off the growing tips. So the pruning method will govern the direction of growth.